Montana Fly Fishing

SHOP STAFF

Angler's West Fly Shop Staff

Matson Rogers

Angler's West Owner & Outfitter

This season marks Matson’s 31st year guiding. Growing up in a family immersed in the sport of fly fishing and living next to fabled trout streams like the Roaring Fork in Colorado and the Brule in northern Wisconsin, he has been fly fishing since the age of 4.

Matson holds a degree in Environmental Economics from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, and is a former instructor at the Western Rivers Guide School located in Jackson Hole, WY.

Along with his home waters in Montana, Matson has fished throughout the Rockies,  New England, the Upper Midwest, Alaska, New Zealand, Belize, Bahamas, Mexico, British Columbia, and Labrador. Along with being a Sage Ambassador, Matson is also fortunate to be a Clackacraft Drift Boats prostaff member. Recently Matson has been featured in Simms Fishing Products Fall and Winter ad programs in print as well as online.

Matson runs Angler’s West with the invaluable help of his wife and life partner, Katherine. Together they are the parents of 3 wonderful children: Sam (22) Sydney (19) and Sawyer (16).

Rick Wollum

Retail Manager

30 years experience in the fly fishing industry

Guide, casting instructor and top fly shop technician

Happy to share wealth of experience with anyone who walks in the door

Come put Rick’s vast knowledge to the test to find the best fishing trip for you, your skills and fishing style. Or pick his brain about the fly du jour, where to fish or the latest and best fishing gear.

Nick Solley

Nick is one of our in-store guide trip booking managers, casting instructors, and guides. Nick was born and raised in Washington, Connecticut, and grew up fly fishing the many iconic trout streams that span across New England. Nick graduated with a BS in Geology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, and was a dedicated member of the Outing Club and Hunting and Fishing Club. During his time at SLU, his love for the outdoors became the primary passion of his life.

Immediately after college, Nick lived on Cape Cod, Massachusetts teaching surfing at Sacred Surf as well as working at Catham Shellfish Company while using any spare time to religiously fly fish for striped bass during the summer migration. In the fall of 2018, Nick packed his bags and headed West. After working the winter in Big Sky, Nick started the 2019 summer season with Angler’s West. Since then, Nick has become one of our stalwart shop employees and guides.

During the season you will find Nick at the fly shop helping guests with the ins and out of fly fishing the Yellowstone or on the water teaching them firsthand. On his days off, Nick enjoys discovering new rivers and streams in the Greater Yellowstone region.  Wintertime finds Nick snowboarding Montana’s abundant powder stashes that become the next summer’s trout water.

Sam Rogers

Born and raised in Montana, his family owns Angler's West so it was only natural that Sam became immersed in everything fly fishing.  

With someone like Sam, “young” doesn’t mean “inexperienced.” Sam’s addiction to fly fishing led him to work at his father’s fly shop when he was 6 or 7 years old. He would tie all kinds of wonderful creations and put them in open bins throughout the store’s fly selection and add a homemade label with hopes of selling his wares. It worked pretty well and you could say Sam was hooked on the fly shop. He’s worked in the store during summertime in many capacities all through high school and now through college as well.  Sam splits time between his shop duties as well as guiding.

When not in the store or guiding guests on the home waters of the Yellowstone River, you can pretty well guess that Sam is out exploring new waters to fish or developing new fly patterns for his next outing. He has fished extensively in the Rocky Mountain West, the Mid-West, New England, as well as in exotic locales like Labrador, Belize, Mexico, and the Bahamas.

Sam will be starting his senior year at Montana State next fall. He is working toward a BS degree in Environmental Science and Ecology.

Kenny Wilson

Kenny grew up in Northern California, working at his family’s fishing resort and fly fishing Lake Almanor and surrounding rivers and lakes throughout Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra counties. Kenny earned a degree in Environmental Studies while alpine ski racing at NCAA Division I Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH. Upon graduation, he moved to Montana where he conducted alpine ecosystem research for Montana State University and the USGS throughout Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico.

It didn’t take long before Kenny knew that Montana was his new home. Currently based in Bozeman, MT, Kenny is centrally located to much of Southwest Montana’s rivers and lakes allowing him to spend a lot of time on a variety of water during the summer season. Splitting his time between working in the fly shop as well as guiding, Kenny enjoys teaching clients of all skill levels, including seasoned veterans, beginners, and children alike. His patience, enthusiasm, and passion are unmatched. Fishing with Kenny, there is no doubt that every angler will walk away with more than they began the day with – enjoyment for the sport, respect for the waters, and an awe of the landscape.

During the winter months, Kenny is the Alpine Competition Director/Head Coach at Bridger Ski Foundation, where he works with junior ski racers.

Scroll to Top